Even though all bulette lords were swiftly slain, the tension in the entire hills was still quite high.
Nobody could reason the strange behavior that the beasts displayed in their final moments, the veteran participants were the most confused by all this.
And among this unrest after the storm, two players were in conversation with each other.
"Your arm, it's bleeding."
Nomom took a peek at the place where the summoned bulette took a bite from Rhemurus. It wasn't that deep, the human player has gotten quite good at relying on his [Nature Sense] to dodge attacks, but clearly not good enough.
"Oh...right...l-let me take care of it."
With a still slightly shaking hand, Rhemurus cast [Cure Light Wounds] to patch up his arm, but it appeared that his mind will take a bit longer to recover.
"I...want to thank you...for sa-"
"Don't mention it. I couldn't just stand by and watch someone get gutted if I could prevent it."
"I'm terribly sorry...Nomom from the empire...but I have no money or valuables on myself to pay you back."
"Mmm, should I say that I killed the bulette lord only to show off and saving your life was just an accidental consequence, would you still offer compensation?"
"Well, whether you actually intended to or not, you still saved my skin, Nomom from the empire."
"Just call me Nomom. And if you keep insisting on compensating me, then maybe you can do it later, if and when you ever visit the Sorcerer Empire."
"Then I believe, I believe you may have to wait a bit. There are many things I have to pay back here in the council state, and I don't know when my debts will be fully paid."
"Really now? I guess your current profession doesn't give you enough income?"
"I guess...not..." Saying he's unemployed and with just a few bronze coins to his name would've been way too shameful to reveal in front of the guest.
Ainz, for his part, was trying to learn as much as he could about Rhemurus now that he could afford to speak directly with him.
"In any case, that lightning spell you called forth was still quite impressive. Judging by the way you fought, you must be a druid, right?
- Oh, oh shit! I used a 3rd-tier druid spell right in front of everyone! There goes my charade.
"I, do you, I mean, you think that's impressive? Back where I come from, reaching the 3rd-tier wasn't a big deal."
Rhemurus was trying to downplay himself in a vain attempt to not stand out even more, being completely ignorant about the fact that the individual he's currently speaking with comes from the exact same place that he does.
"The place you come from? It must be quite impressive. To tell you the truth, I also come from a place where 3rd-tier casters and the like are even below the bottom of the barrel as well."
"Yeah, I've heard impressive things about the Sorcerer Empire."
"Oh no, I meant the place I lived in before I became a part of the empire."
"Huh? So you are not originally from the Sorcerer Empire, Nomom?"
"No, my homeland was a place even more magnificent than anything I've seen in this realm to date. Even the empire falls short of the wonders my place of origin has."
"So...you come from a place like that too, huh."
At that moment, the companion of Nomom - Phenia - approached the two in order to get a better look at the player both she and Ainz have been so anxious to meet.
"Hi there."
"Oh hi, you're Phenia, right? Those spells you threw were impressive."
"Thanks for the compliment Rhe-, um, refu-, ah, thanks."
"Are exceptional individuals like you and Nomom the norm back in the empire? You're both quite amazing."
"Well...to tell you truth, I'm not originally from the Sorcerer Empire."
"You too?"
"That's right." Nomom took back the flow of the conversation. "The sorcerer emperor is someone who gladly accepts talent regardless of where it comes from."
"The sorcerer emperor Ainz Ooal Gown...have you met him in person?"
"I have only seen him from a distance. He's kind of a big deal, you know." Talking about himself that way was beyond embarrassing to Ainz, but he couldn't afford to drop his own charade.
"And you, Phenia? Have you met the sorcerer emperor in person?"
"Nah. But he's pretty great! I bet you can go live in the empire and be set for life!"
"Just because I'm a druid who reached the 3rd-tier?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah!"
On one side, Rhemurus believes that the two guests he's interacting with seem to be good folk, so they would have no reason to lie.
But for the other, they both admitted to having never met the emperor in person, so they're obviously talking from what they have heard about Ainz Ooal Gown, rather than what they actually know for certain.
"Anyhow." Ainz took the reins again, he must keep exchanging as much information as possible while he still has the chance. "If you're interested in visiting the empire and you're in need of more coin, perhaps you could be interested in the greenwalker corps."
"Corps? Sounds military."
"Kind of. The druids of the said unit can be used for military purposes sometimes, but most of the time they congregate wherever druidic magic is most needed at the time. And as it turns out, reaching the 3rd-tier is the bare minimum requirement to join."
- What I coincidence, I just reached the 3rd-tier it turns out.
But wait, there's something Rhemurus had to make sure of as well.
"Also, there's something I wish to ask of you if that's okay."
"Of course, if we know it, we will answer it."
"Would you happen to know if the Sorcerer Empire has dual-casters?"
"You mean, spellcasters who can use two systems of magic simultaneously, rather than just one?"
"Yeah, like that. Back where I'm currently having asylum there's a very wise sage who has told me everything he knows about the Sorcerer Empire, and one particular individual stood out for me."
"Judging by your question, I imagine that individual would be Fluder Paradyne?"
"I reckon that if even some individuals here know about that tri-caster, then everyone in the empire must likewise know about him."
"Right. He's quite an important vassal of the emperor, but as it turns out, as of now Fluder is the only tri-caster in the Sorcerer Empire. The only dual-caster I can think of would be the Jade Prince who lives on the southern border of the empire, a powerful spellcaster who melds the spiritual disciplines of his ancestors with the power of his faith."
"A psychic theurge."
"Yes, but as I said, I believe he's the only dual-caster in empire lands."
He doesn't just believe, Ainz is certain. During the last decades, he has been actively looking for magical potential all over the lands under his dominion and even beyond. Yet the individual known as the Jade Prince is so far the only one in his empire besides Fluder who can use more than one system of tier magic.
"So, hypothetically speaking, should someone who can use divine and arcane magic at the same time show up in the Sorcerer Empire, would this someone be considered an individual of value there?"
- Mmm, yes, I did see you use an arcane spell earlier today, which means that you have been building both druid and arcane levels, no? Also, how DO you build them in the first place, without a console interface? In either case, that's alright. An arcane hierophant would work just fine for the place I have in mind for you.
"Why, of course! Even though I've never met the emperor myself, I've heard that nobody values magical potential more than him, this someone would see himself living a life of luxury. If this someone is willing to actually work, that is."
"That's...good to know. It sounds like a great place, the Sorcerer Empire."
"It is!" Playfully exclaimed Phenia with child-like excitement.
- Is Phenia an actual child? I imagine that question could come out as rude.
"I thank you both for indulging in conversation with me, but I believe I should go to where my team is congregating."
"W-wait, you don't have more questions? Maybe we could chat about something else!"
"I, ah, it's alright, Phenia. Thank you, but I should reunite with the human team."
"B-but-"
"Now that I remember, we too should start getting ready to return back to the empire as well. Right, Phenia?" Said Ainz as he gently placed his hand on Keno's shoulder to signal that they should let Rhemurus go for now.
After all, the desire to visit the empire has already been seeded in his mind, which is more than he had hoped to achieve during these games.
Rhemurus waved goodbye to the guests from the empire, once again being ignorant of the events that were developing around him.
Now that this year's hunting games were officially over, it was time for the closing ceremony.
The high marshal announced that, in the end, the official winner of this year was the dark dwarf team, once again.
Even if no team could properly kill a single bulette lord, the dark dwarves who acted as support on the third day still killed more summoned bulettes than the yuan-ti's support did, and those kills still count. Hence, the dark dwarves of Grakclstugh are still the undefeated champions of the hunting games.
Still, even if they officially won, this year's victory felt a bit hollow to them.
"And for the honorable winners of this year, the first price is a monetary reward of 300 electrum pieces and the recovered scales of the bulettes and dire bulettes slain by all teams."
Even so, the dark dwarves - being dwarves - still wouldn't reject the gift of money and such valuable materials.
Bulette scale mail is actually in quite high demand, mainly because bulettes only exist in this secluded pocket of the new world as a result of the actions of the Demon God of Beasts. Everywhere else, the closest things are mild landsharks whose scales are barely harder than stone.
Second place reward was 100 electrum pieces alongside the fangs and claws of the slain bulettes. The yuan-ti of Elesema can still use those parts to make rudimentary weapons or decorative tribal fetishes.
Third place reward was 50 electrum pieces, and that's it.
During the ceremony, Rhemurus was standing alongside the rest of his team in silence. While everyone else was paying attention to the words of the high marshal, the player was busy inside his mind since he had a lot of spells to add to his internal spell console.
As it turns out, the death of the bulette lords he marked gave him a total of nine more levels on top of the three levels that the summons he killed gave him, which meant that this final day of the hunting games gave him a total of 12 more levels.
Of these nine levels, five of those he invested in [Mage], and now that he had a bare minimum of 10 levels in that basic starter class, Rhemurus decided to try and see if he could obtain a prestige class now that he qualified for one.
- Let's see. I wish to become an evoker, can I be a specialist evoker in this world? If I can't be a world disaster at the very least let me be an evoker, damn it!
To his somewhat expected surprise, when Rhemurus desired to obtain a level in the [Evoker] prestige class, he could feel a change inside his internal spell console.
It was a bit hard to put into words, but he felt as if the spells of the evocation school he knew were now...buffed, modified, not only stronger but superior in every single way.
The eight schools of arcane magic were; abjuration, conjuration, divination, transmutation, illusion, enchantment, evocation, and necromancy. And of these schools, evocation was the school that specialized the most in magical firepower and the creation of energy.
After obtaining a minimum of 10 levels in the basic [Mage] class, the player qualifies to obtain a prestige class which allowed it to further specialize in a particular school of its choosing. From that point onward, every level in said prestige class would not only increase the power and effectiveness of the spells which belonged to the caster's favored school, but it also had the added benefit of reducing the MP cost of those spells and even gave special skills on top.
Now that he was an evoker, Rhemurus will have most of his attack spells enhanced even further and will cost less mana to cast, which will be huge down the line.
- Alright, I can indeed get prestige classes in this world. This does guarantee that in two more levels, I will definitely become an arcane hierophant, which is a relief.
Building all those arcane levels would've been a colossal waste if he wouldn't have been able to obtain prestige classes, so Rhemurus is quite glad.
Currently, he's a level 29 human with 15 levels in [Druid], 10 in [Mage], and four in [Evoker]. With a grand total of 87 spells divided between 45 divine and 42 arcane, he was on his way to reaching the top echelons of the humanoid spellcasters in the new world.
One more level in his latest job class will also give him access to 3rd-tier arcane spells, which will open the gate for [Arcane Hierophant] and future progression.
- I think I could use a break with how much I've progressed in these past three days.
Stop his grinding for a while sounds like the best idea right now, considering how soon his second near-death experience came after the first one.
But, yet again, Rhemurus won't have things go his way.
The flashy lightning spell he cast definitely didn't go unnoticed, now all members of the human team knew about the fact that this refugee who was a stagnating little druid when the hunting games started was now a 3rd-tier spellcaster who could master spells like [Call Lighting] in less than three days.
It didn't matter what race you were in the new world, reaching even the 2nd-tier of tier magic - regardless of which system - was the most that the majority of spellcasters could hope to achieve in their lifespans. And even in countries where magical development was front and center like the Argland Council State and the Sorcerer Empire, the average limit for most spellcasters was 3rd-tier, a level they achieved after years of restless study and effort.
The only exceptions known to civilization were races like magelos, dryads, zern lords, herdropers, kiyaria, driders, ogre mages, and pretty much anyone whose racial levels acted as substitution caster levels.
But humans being humanoids, they have no racial classes to speak of and such, no innate magic of any sort.
It couldn't be helped, but even if Erodel ordered all participants to don't talk about Rhemurus when they came back to Breizen, gossip was bound to spread like wildfire, so the human lord didn't even bother to. Instead, he decided to move into the next step of the orders that grand councilor Tsaindorcus left behind for him.
With the closing ceremony concluded, the high marshal wished everyone safe travels and returned to Guraxus alongside the grand councilor, to which the racial teams packed up and began the march back to their respective settlements.
Even though it was basically nighttime by the time the closing ceremony concluded, nobody wanted to camp up for the night and begin the march back home in a refreshed state the next day. The reason being that; the corruption of the Manthor Hills left behind by the Demon God of Beasts was so incredibly deep, that even when all bulettes, dire bulettes, and bulette lords are all defeated, the very land itself will eventually begin to spawn bulettes once again, starting the cycle anew every single year.
Just like the player leader Riku said so long ago; the only powers that could reverse the corruption were a [Wish] spell or a world-class item.
And eventually, the humans returned to Breizen after an uneventful march back home.
There was no dramatic ceremony nor noisy welcoming party, mainly because the humans have never won the hunting games even once. They only participate for the sake of honing the combat skills of their strongest members, something that they don't have many chances to do in times of relative peace.
What each individual human did receive however was a warm welcome from their families and loved ones who were looking forward to having them back home. All except for Rhemurus who simply went to the merchant district back into the Starry Night Inn after giving his scimitar again to Lord Erodel, for he still wasn't allowed to use weapons inside the city.
He greeted Aula - who was a warm familiar sight for the player's sore eyes - before walking up to his room.
The common accommodation room was quite plain, but to him, it felt like he came back to the safety of home.
"Let's see, the pieces of my studded leather armor are occupying most of the space of this room's chest. I should make some room for my wooden armor."
To be precise, his wooden-stone armor which was still a bit brittle from the brutal hunt, but was infinitely better than a fully broken armor.
- If anyone asks, I'll just say I got rid of the studded leather pieces.
What he did was to take the pieces of his broken Yggdrasil armor and stored them all inside his inventory, that way there was enough room to store his armor which - because of the alchemical stone layer - was a bit cumbersome, but it still fit inside the room's chest nonetheless alongside his wooden pot helm.
"Tomorrow I'll know how much have my MP reserves grown. But...there's still a very long way to go from here."
Indeed, regardless of what he does to obtain the two more levels he needs to obtain the [Arcane Hierophant] class, that is still just the beginning, the starter line, a line he still hasn't even reached yet.
So bracing himself for the arduous path ahead, Rhemurus dropped his filthy body into the bed. He can take a shower tomorrow.
[?-?-?]
At the very southeastern section of an arid region of the supercontinent known as the Dolor Desert was one of the borders that separates the Sorcerer Empire from the Sarrukh Theocracy.
South of this border, however, is still unclaimed territory that remains outside of player dominion.
It's not like the emperor or the ba'al are incapable of taking these unclaimed lands. Rather, neither of the two have any reason to; the lands are even arider than the desert itself which means pretty much nothing can grow, and the only ones who can even survive in these lands are races with incredible heat resistance, innate spellcasting ability to use [Endure Elements] on a daily regular basis, or anyone who has the blood of a fire elemental on their veins, like say, a descendant from the fire genies of Slutarn.
This unclaimed territory has had numerous unflattering names throughout the generations, but as of the latest century, it has been known to the new world natives as the Kossuth Wastes.
Currently, the sorcerer emperor Ainz Ooal Gown was silently levitating above the wastes, his mind deep in thought. After several hours of meditation, he decided that these wastes could be the perfect sweet spot he had been looking for.
"Not too big and not too small. Monsters are relatively mid-level, and that particular bandit king could be a nice cherry on top."
It was also at that moment that he was joined by the sudden appearance of a dark and incorporeal creature who seemed to manifest out of nowhere from the night sky.
This creature was known in Yggdrasil as a Greater Shadow Demon, a monster around level 70 that was a much more powerful and efficient version of its lesser counterpart.
"You have returned, where you detected?"
"No, Lord Ainz. Not a single individual was aware of my presence."
"So, you managed to obtain the exact location of the place where Rhemurus is currently staying?"
"Yes, the human settlement is a walled city called Breizen. The one you commanded me to track is currently staying in a particular lodge in this city."
"And the mapping, you completed it?"
"It's complete. We now know the exact way to the human city's location."
"You did an excellent job, you're dismissed for the time being."
The demon bowed to its master and disappeared once again into the night sky, leaving the emperor alone once again.
Rather than commanding the shadow demon variant to constantly keep an eye on the human player, Ainz decided to play it safe and simply ordered it to follow Rhemurus after the hunting games concluded, figure out where exactly he's staying, and go back to Nazarick in order to make a small map of sorts detailing how to reach Breizen.
Only an extremely small handful of individuals in the council state would be capable of detecting the presence of a Greater Shadow Demon, and none of those frequented the human city, but Ainz will play absolutely no chances. Even though he recently learned that the Platinum Dragon Lord was away, he assumed that such a thing could very well be misinformation spread by Tsaindorcus to make him act in a relaxed way.
Even the arcane satellites will only be making occasional rotations above Breizen, rather than being stationed all the time on top of Rhemurus. If and when the time comes to meet his fellow player without any facades, Ainz hopes to be in good standing, which is something he can't have if Rhemurus finds out he was being spied on.
"If your limit on druid spells is currently 3rd-tier, and you didn't cast a single arcane spell even when your life was in immediate danger, then I assume you still don't have your first level in [Arcane Hierophant] yet, do you? I wonder if I can help you grind from a safe distance..."
He could also wait and see what Rhemurus does, but he's adamant about giving the human player his space.
After all, Ainz himself would've absolutely hated it if another more powerful player would've been spying on him back when he arrived in the new world.
No, instead he's going to wait and see what type of noise the new player makes in the council state.
"If the people of Argland end up either hailing you as a savior or hating you as a freak, you can rest easy, there will be a backup place for you right here."
[Next morning, the city of Breizen]
The warm sunlight coming through the room's window eventually reached the face of the sleeping individual, signaling to him that it was time to wake up.
- It's been a while, three days felt like an eternity.
Instead of immediately waking up, the human player decided to take a good feel of the massive amount of mana flowing inside him.
Well, massive in comparison to the last time he was in this room, that is.
Besides that, he took his time looking at all the 87 spells in his internal spell console. Even if he's aware of the fact that his MP reserves and spell list will grow even more absurd in the future, he still should appreciate the progress made so far.
- I imagine it could get a bit hard to keep track of all of my spells, especially the divine ones I'm the most unfamiliar with.
But he has to do it. Dying simply because he forgot how a spell works would be beyond shameful.
- What I have to focus on from now on should be, how can I grind now?
As of now, the watch still sounds like the best option to make some money, but he wouldn't have many chances to grind.
- Perhaps I could join that group of hunters from the combat district, now that I can cast 3rd-tier druid spells they might let me in.
He heard that these particular hunters were the most unruly humans of Breizen, mostly social outcasts that make a living hunting creatures from the surrounding lands since they wouldn't be given employment anywhere else, so they make do selling monster carcasses that regular merchants from the larger cities would sell at higher prices. But some of them, however, are simply born wilders that prefer life outside city walls.
Rhemurus only knows about them in the first place because, during the march last night, he was talking with his fellow humans about the exotic views he saw among the other racial teams, how different they were to his homeland - Yggdrasil - and one of those topics was how that orc general who fought alongside Lord Tsadok could somehow control his [Frenzy] to tell friend from foe apart.
The other humans told him that they, too, were impressed by the display of that particular orc, since the berserkers of Breizen could do nothing of the sort, hence why they are never invited to the hunting games despite being expert hunters themselves. How surprised he was to learn that the human city where he had been living for a while had berserkers, all of which are members of this particular hunter group. But to be fair, he hasn't been living in this city for that long in the first place.
- According to Yggdrasil lore, berserkers can only exist in places where civilization will never reach. But in any case, this world keeps showing me that Yggdrasil rules don't mean squat to the people who were born here.
But since he definitely wasn't born here, he must follow all the rules from Yggdrasil whether he likes it or not. So to kill more things he must go!
"It's decided, I'm going to join this hunting team. If I can find it, that is."
Of course, that will be after he takes a good shower in the private bathing facilities of the Starry Night Inn. The grime and dirt from the Manthor Hills were still all over him.
So after taking his bath and changing into the extra set of clothes he had purchased for himself so many days ago, he went to the dining area expecting to see the familiar sight of lively patrons and waitresses, but the moment he walked down the stairs, he was instead greeted by the silent sight of people who began murmuring to each other the moment he entered the scene.
He didn't want this, he genuinely, truly didn't want this, but it simply couldn't be helped.
Rhemurus was a player from Yggdrasil, just like the ones remembered in the nearby human lands as the Six Great Gods, just like the ones remembered in this country as the Eight Gods of Conquest, just like the one remembered in the land of the minotaurs as the Great Sage, just like the one remembered in the tale of the legendary heroes who defeated the evil deities as their leader, just like the emperor of the Sorcerer Empire of Ainz Ooal Gown, and just like the king of kings of the Sarrukh Theocracy.
Whether he likes it or not, the new world will one way or another learn about his overwhelming potential, his alien power.
In any case, nothing changed the fact that he still needed to eat in order to have the energy required to function throughout the day, so Rhemurus had no choice but to suck it up and sit at the table he always sat in and wait for his breakfast.
- Why did I have to pick fucking human as my avatar's race? Having to constantly eat and sleep are such distractions.
Had Tanaka Ito been an edgelord, he may have picked demon for his race in Yggdrasil. Or had he been more of a meta-slave, he may have picked angel instead, like the members of the top guild Seraphim.
However, neither [Imp] nor [Angel] were racial classes that gave spellcasting progression, they were both melee classes that function as substitute [Antipaladin] and [Paladin] levels, respectively.
Both did have advancement racial classes that progressed spellcasting, however, and it wasn't that hard to unlock them, but since those advanced races still required at least 10 levels in the base imp/angel racial class, the player always ended up with just 90 effective caster levels by the time he reached max-level.
- Seeing how absurdly powerful those angel mages of Seraphim were, I reckon having only 90 mage levels didn't matter that much if each individual spell you could cast was overwhelmingly more powerful than the spells of the ones that aren't angels.
Perhaps demon mages also enjoyed such superior power, but Tanaka never heard of a demon-only guild back in Yggdrasil, only about Seraphim who ended up being at the very top above everyone else.
Ulbert from Ainz Ooal Gown did come to mind, but Tanaka brushed him off since he assumes it was the [World Disaster] class that made that specific demon player so powerful.
- Whatever, I'm a human now. Just deal with it Tanaka, stop complaining and find a way to make do. He told to himself since he had no choice but to use the hand he gave to himself.
But without any warning, his inner monologues were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a person he had never seen before.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
When Rhemurus turned his gaze towards the one who just spoke to him he could barely believe what his eyes were showing him; a mind-blowingly beautiful woman with a warm smile, a fancy hairstyle, exquisite clothes, and was that eye shadow on her face? This was the first time since he arrived in this world that he had seen anyone wearing makeup.
He wasn't the only one dumbfounded by the sight, literally all current patrons and waitresses were staring in awe at the lady that just stepped into the inn. The murmurs from before were now amplified to a greater degree since pretty much everyone in the city knew who this woman was.
Of course, everyone except the outsider refugee.
"Huh...I don't think it's taken, no."
After he said that, the woman took a seat next to him and asked a nearby waitress to bring her a mug of the inn's best tea.
This was quite an odd situation for him, but Rhemurus didn't want to be bothered much by it, so he stopped staring at her and returned his gaze in front of him, continuing his wait for the food to arrive.
"So, my name is Calistria, what is yours?"
- She wants to start a conversation?
"Ah, my name is Rhemurus. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too!" She said with the brightest smile on her face.
"You know, one of my friends, a sneaky weapon-throwing girl, came back from the hunting games yesterday."
"Really?"
"Yes! And she just couldn't stop talking about this mysterious druid who came from faraway lands and fought with the savagery of a wild beast-"
"...huh..."
"-yet this man could still tame that savagery with the clear and collected mind of a mighty warrior! She told me that he was as pale as a cloud, hair white as snow, with the red eyes of a blood moon, and dark wild markings on his face."
Rhemurus just blinked a few times, trying to process the words coming out of her mouth.
"Would you happen to know anything about this mysterious man, Rhemurus?" She finished talking with a quirky smile on her face.
- ...what the fuck...?
"I...well...that man sounds a bit out of place, maybe you should avoid coming across that individual if you do see him."
"Oh, so this mysterious man is dangerous? I'm up for a little danger. Hehe."
- Is this gal for real? What is she trying to do?
"Ahem, in all seriousness. That mysterious man your friend told you about would be me, unless there was another pale white-haired individual in the hunting games, that is."
"So it IS you! Hehe, you are not as scary as my friend tried to paint you."
"I, thanks for the compliment."
- I think.
"What my friend failed to mention, something I was told by my other connections, was how you went to the hunting games as a weak druid who could barely cast any spells of the 1st-tier, and by the final day you graced everyone with a mighty spell that could only be brought forth by the 3rd-tier of druid magic!"
- You had to go and remind me of my massive screw-up? Nobody was supposed to know I reached the 3rd-tier yet.
"Yeah, I guess I did learn [Call Lighting]. I suppose that could be considered quite impressive, eh?" He said as he scratched the back of his head. From the outside, it may give the impression of a humble individual underselling his inhuman progress, but in reality, Rhemurus was beyond ashamed for slipping up like that.
How could he have been so stupid? Being so close to death didn't excuse it, at least not according to him.
"And I began to think, what an exceptional individual this man must be, and what other types of talents this man must have. Tell me, Rhemurus-" Calistria began to speak in a softer, almost seductive tone. "-would you be interested in a job proposal?"
That was the first thing Calistria said that actually caught Rhemurus' attention.
"A job? Really? What type of job?"
His expectant interest could clearly be seen in his eyes now, a mood change so fast that Calistria seemed to be taken aback for a moment, but she immediately recovered her composure immediately after.
"A job that could ensure that you never wish for coin ever again."
Calistria paused for a moment to take a sip of her tea. Rhemurus didn't even see the waitress leave the mug on the table, so he took a peek in front of him and saw his breakfast laid on the table as well.
- Fuck! I failed to notice my surroundings again!
He couldn't show his frustration for others to see, so he returned his gaze to look at Calistria who was still talking to him.
"So just to be sure, between you and me, do you feel like the 3rd-tier is your limit? Do you feel like you still have room to grow? With how fast you reached that level, surely you believe you can reach greater heights like the 4th-tier tier or even...Land Mother allows, the 5th-tier?"
- I'm pretty sure I can reach the 10th-tier with enough EXP, and if Momonga or some other player has some leftover Tomes of Power, then I'm pretty sure I will be able to learn super-tier spells as well.
In fact, if he hadn't decided to build arcane levels to become an arcane hierophant, he would be one level away from being able to learn 5th-tier druid spells.
But he shouldn't say that. Either people would believe he was joking, or worse, they would believe he was telling the truth.
"To tell you the truth, Calistria, I do believe I have some room left in me to keep growing. But...the 5th-tier? I don't know."
"It's alright!" She said with that cheery smile plastered on her face. "What matters is that you're an amazing individual with lots of room to become even more amazing than you already are. My benefactor would be more than happy to employ someone like you."
"So this job, can you give me more information now? Or, should I make the first move with your benefactor?"
"If you're interested, you can come to the Shelyn Theater in the central district. That's where I work, and you can always find me there anytime you wish."
"That's great! I, uh, thank you very much for coming all the way here to let me know about this opportunity."
"Oh don't say that, it was a pleasure to meet you, Rhemurus. I do hope we get to know each other better."
After she finished drinking her tea, she left two golden coins on the table and told a nearby waitress that the inn could keep the change.
She got up, said goodbye to the refugee, and exited the inn.
- Okay...just what in the actual fuck was that!
A super sexy woman just suddenly came to offer him a job and left, just like that.
He already knew that word of the freakish speed in which he reached the 3rd-tier was bound to spread, but THAT fast!?
- Well, seeing how well off Calistria seems to be, I imagine the job she offers wouldn't be so bad.
Should he end up disliking the job down the line, he could always quit, right? Surely this world isn't the type of shitty cesspool back on Earth where individuals were socially stigmatized for quitting a job they didn't like, right? Right?
- Wait! Will the job she offers even allow me to gain EXP?
Judging by the fact that she said that she works in a theater, probably not.
Part of the reason why he was considering joining the outcast hunters was the fact that killing monsters is literally what they do for a living. But considering that the sole reason the civilized people of Breizen haven't kicked them out is the fact that they sell their kills for cheap prices, he wasn't sure how long it would take him to pay back all the five gold coins Erodel gave him if he does settle for being part of this uncivilized hunter group.
So, obtain the money to pay back his debt first, and then join the hunters to get EXP? Or, obtain enough EXP to become an arcane hierophant first, and then accept Calistria's offer so he can pay back to the chieftain and start saving up for his trip to the Sorcerer Empire?
"Sigh, what to do?"
Feeling defeated, Rhemurus just began eating his breakfast before it got cold. He has even more things to consider now, the weight on his mind and spirit just kept getting heavier.
He took his time finishing his breakfast, he was in no hurry since Erodel told him last night that Aerodus would understand if he doesn't feel like continuing the traditional druid training. But even so, he still felt that he should at the very least thank Aerodus in person for all the time and effort he put in trying to help him, even if it ended up doing nothing for him.
And it was when he finally finished his breakfast that he heard a couple of waitresses silently arguing behind him. Thanks to his now superior senses he could somewhat make out the hushed words, the waitresses were - unsurprisingly - talking about him and his fresh encounter with that hot chick who just left.
Eventually, one of the two stopped arguing and just walked towards Rhemurus, it appeared she had something to say.
"Hi, Rhemurus. I hope you enjoyed your breakfast."
"I did! Thank you once again, Vibia."
Vibia had a stressed smile on her face, it appeared as if she was debating with herself about something.
"Are, are you alright Vibia? You always listened to me when I had something to say, even though I was, I am, an outsider without connections of any sort."
Hearing those words helped Vibia relax somewhat.
"If you feel like saying anything, I would be more than happy to repay the kindness you always showed me."
Vibia's stressful smile was replaced by a genuine one, then after a light chuckle, she went ahead and said what she wanted to say.
"That woman you just spoke to, Headmaster Calistria, what did she tell you?"
"She offered me some sort of employment that I can learn more about if I visit her in a theater of the central district."
"I see..."
The waitress' face began to shape into a concerned expression, both out of concern for Rhemurus whom she had come to know, and concern about what would happen if Rhemurus accepts.
She got a bit closer and began to speak in a softer tone.
"Rhemurus, we have no actual proof but, Calistria is rumored to be the left hand of Drulia."
"You mean, that gang leader?"
"Yes, Drulia needs a pretty face she can control to influence people outside the underworld and send invitations to those she believes would be of use to her. According to these rumors, at least."
"Mmm...but you said nobody has any actual proof, no?"
"No. These rumors might as well be spread by envious girls, more specifically her fellow actresses from the theater she works at."
"I believe she told me it's called the Shelyn Theater."
It does sound a bit dubious, a crime lady like Drulia having someone who's apparently as famous and popular as Calistria as her left hand.
However-
"But, why would she be interested in someone like me? I'm a druid, I know nothing about theater stuff."
"Well, the Shelyn Theater has recently sent out employment requests for anyone who can use the [Cloud Control] spell or similar magic to help make their open roof plays more dramatic."
"Oh...that's why she said they need a druid who can use the 4th-tier."
And that would explain why they're willing to hire an outsider like him since 4th-tier spellcasters don't actually grow on trees.
"Of course, I'm sure the rumors might as well say that she had the theater make that request as a cover to hide the fact Drulia needs powerful spellcasters on her side."
"Yeah, I imagine. Still, the watch doesn't have any evidence, so no room for actual suspicion."
"That is only if Calistria is truly in cahoots with Drulia. All her admirers would die before believing their beautiful and heavenly Calistria could be a criminal accomplice."
That's a given. Even if proper evidence falls on the desks of the marshals, Calistria would have no small number of admirers who would shield her from the law.
Vibia kept telling Rhemurus all the rumors she had heard about the Shelyn Theater and its main star Calistria. Not to actually discourage him from accepting a job - something he desperately needs - but to make sure that Rhemurus knew what he could possibly be getting into if he were to accept.
"Vibia, thank you. Really, thank you so much for taking this time off your duty to tell me all this."
"I haven't known you for that long, but I believe you're not a bad person. And I also believe it would be a shame if someone were to take advantage of you simply for being an outsider."
- Also, it would be a shame if a so-called powerful druid were to join forces with the greatest criminal this city has ever known, right?
He almost said that out loud, but he purposely avoided saying that because judging from Vibia's voice and tone, Rhemurus felt that she was someone who genuinely worried about him. Someone who told him all that not just to avoid a powerful criminal underbelly to grow even more powerful, but out of true concern for his well-being.
Vibia was an incredibly kind person, for trying to help someone who was still a stranger of sorts to her.
- Good people and bad people...this world is so incredibly colorful.
Unlike the gray moral wastelands of Earth.
"You're welcome. I wish you the best of luck Rhemurus, regardless of which choice you make."
With that, Vibia returned to her waitress duty. Yet the murmurs in the background of the dining area continued.
But it didn't matter to him. Regardless if Calistria was a criminal accomplice or not, it didn't change the fact that he needed money and EXP.
- Let's see, if the Shelyn Theater needs a druid who can use 4th-tier magic, then my priority should be to reach that tier first, then apply for the job.
He's only two levels away from unlocking [Arcane Hierophant], and after that, he needs a bare minimum of seven levels in that prestige class to be able to add 4th-tier druid - and 4th-tier arcane - spells to his spell list. So he needs to become a level 37 human, at least.
- Had I decided to keep advancing as a pure druid, I would already be able to cast 4th-tier spells already. But...I wouldn't have added [Cloud Control] to my list of spells known now that I think about it. Huh.
In any case, EXP gain definitely must come first, so he exited the inn and began his walk to his destination. Since he only had a few bronze coins to his name he couldn't even afford a stagecoach, and he didn't want to exert himself too much, so walking all the way was his only choice.
"I never actually asked where the berserker hunters congregate, so I'll have to ask around, or something."
Rhemurus kept walking while being lost in his mind. He decided to go to the druid district first in order to properly thank Aerodus for everything he did, and after that, he will go to the combat district and look for these berserker hunters, none the wiser that the highest-level human rogue in the council state was keeping watch on him from the shadows.
Perhaps, Ainz should've left that Greater Shadow Demon watch over him after all.